Refrigerator



n Y 3 7 u ATTORNEYS,

W. M. MYERS RE FRI GERAT 0R Filed Dec Dec, 23, 1924.

Patented- Dec. 23, 1924.

' UNITED snr-,Aras

'WILLIAM M. -]EYEIB.S,l 0F ST.

PATENT OFFICE.

BEFRIGERATOB. Y

Application filed December 10, 192k Serial No. 429,793.

To all whom t may concern.

' Be it known that' I, WILLIAM M. MYERS,

a citizen of the United States, residing atv St. Joseph, county' of Buchanan, and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful .Improvements in Refrigerators, of which thefollowing is a specification. My invention relates to improvements in refrigerators of that type in which the circulation -of an elastic fluid is automatically or thermostatically controlled, and it particularly relates to the portions of such apparatus which 4are designed tobe installed in the refrigerating chamber. Y The objects of my invention are to provide highly eiiicient apparatus forthe desired purpose; to provide a morevreliable thermostatic control than any heretofore devised; to provide a simple, compact, and durable structure, peculiarly Suited to the requirements of domestic refrigerating plants, where economy of space is one of the primary requisites; to provide apparatus in which air may be successfully 'used as S15-the refrigerating medium\or elastic uid,

thereby providing perfectly safe installations; and to provide a sanitary' refrigerator requiring minimum care and attention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevational sectional view, drawn generally to a plane common to the inlet and outletports ofthe circulatory coil,^the main inlet'for the refrigerant, and the pressure reducing valve. A

Figures 2 and 3 are cross sectional views taken respectively on'lines 2-2 and 3 3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a plan view of the valve casing with the cap removed. L Figure 5 is a plan view of the llower end cap for the condensing chamber. I,

Like parts are identied by the same ref- .erence characters throughout the several views. v

The refrigerant is delivered'to the condensing 'chamber 1 thru` a duct 2. The

, chamber 1 is closed "atV its lowerend by a vcap 3 having yan outlet port :4r-normally closed by a needle valve 5, connected with a float 6 (guided between the projections 7 and adapte to be lifted b water, whenthelatlter accumulates in s cient quanti thereby opening the valve and allowing t e .water to pass through the outlet port 4 to any suitable Vdrain pipe that may be connected thereto.

y -A duct 10 leadsdownwardly in the con`- denser chamber 1, and its lower end is connected with an apertured projection 11 suitably bored at 12 and 13-to receive the end 00 of the ductl 10 and the lower end of the coiled'pipe 14, as Shown. The pipe 14 is coiled about the chamber l between it and an outer vjacket 16,' and its upper end is coupled-at 17 to the valve casing member 65 18 to afford communication with the port 19 and cavity 20 therein. From this cavity 20 [theiluid may pass thru the port 22 to the cavity 23 when'the valve 25 is open, whereupon it is free to pass thru the openings 26 70` leading from this cavity to the jacket space, within which the jcoils are located, and downwardly along the coils to the lower end vof the jacket, wherek it may pass to the eX- terior, or to an outlet duct .if desired. No outlet duct is illustrated, for if air is used as ,the refrigerant, nolsuch duct will be required.

The valve 25 is connected by a Stem 30 with a piston or diaphragm head 31 seated" 80 within the casing member 32, the upper end of which is closed'by a diaphragm 33 upon the outer face of which a ring 34 is seated, the ring being covered bya cap 35 to form an air chamber 36 above the diaphragm. 85 Fluid under pressure in this chamber tends to hold the valve 25 to its seat, but when this pressure is relieved the piston, (diaphragm 32 and piston head 31), are pushed upwardly by a spring 37 interposed between shoul 90 der 38and a cup -shaped seating 39v on the y guide sleeve 40 through which the valve Stem 30 passes.

. The elastic fluid is supplied to the chamber 36 from the main inlet duct 2 through 95 the by-pass 44, pressure-reducer 45, thermostatically controlled chamber 46 and duct 47.

The heat actuated bar or member 4,8, of the thermostat is connected with a valve at 49, which, when opened, allows the air to escape from chamber 36, thereby permitting the coiled spring 37 to open the'valve` 25, as above' explained. It is thev function of the pressure reducer to lower the air pressures in pipe'44 to the point where the' thermo- 105 static device can lcontrol them.

hits seat The specific structure of the pressure re-` ducer or reducing valve 45 is not essentlal, any ordinary reducing valve capable ,of accurately maintaining the'des'ired normal pressur'in chamber 36 being adapted for my purpose. In the construction shown the fluid is by-passed around an interior d1a phragm-chamber 50 thru the duct 51 when the needle valve 52 is open. .The differential diaphragme 53 and 54, working 1n cooperation with the interposed spring 55,

tend to retract the larger diaphragm v54 and open the needle valve 52. But as the pr'essure in chambers 56 and 36 builds up 1t eventually becomes effective to press diaphragm 54 downwardly and actuate the valve 52 t0 thru the stem 58, againstthe pressure spring 55 and the fluid pressure on the smaller diaphragm 53.

To prevent-the main valve 25 from freezing, I provide another by-pass duct 60 whlch leads from the main inlet 2 thru an opening 61 in the casing member 32 to an interlor passage 62 in the stem 30 leading to a port 64 in the point of the valve, thereby provlding means forv circulating fluidl thru the valve to the port 22 at normal temperature of Vthecompressed Huid. The duct 60 is preferably provided with a coil 65, and is,

formed of material Whichis suiliciently flexible to allow the necessary movement at the point vof connection with the valve stem.

s It will be understood that the present `invention relates particularly to such portions of a refrigerating mechanism as .are designed Jto be installed in a refrigerating larly adapted for delivery lof heat through its walls. The cooler air within the casing 16, however, will keep chamber 1 at a sufliciently low temperature so that most of the water carried .by the air passing therethrough will condense and cool inthe bottom of said chamber whence it maybe delivered by the float valve. Air isitaken from said chamber at a sufficient height therein so that the danger of water being taken into pipe 10 is practically nil. Thereafter, the air passes through the coil 14 and tends to assume the temperature of the refrigerated air in casing 16, whereby, any 'remaining vapor is con-l densed and runs bygravity to the lowest point of tube 14 where a suitable .duct `is provided through which said water may be drawn 'oif at intervals, as by drain cock 14.

When it reaches the reducing valve 25; the compressed air will be at a relatively low temperature, and obviously the temperature therepfwill be'further reducedby e'xpfa'n'- sion through the valve.` mainingv atQthis point might tend to congeal and form snow in sufcient quantities to obstruct the operation of the valve were it not for the admission through the hollow stem Any moisture reof the valve of uncooled air from the supply main which will be admitted in small. quantities, and will tend to iiow upwardly across` the face of the valve itself, and thereby to maintain the valve substantially kat atmospheric temperature. The advantage of the particular structure shown in the'drawings is that when the valve is closed the pressure of the air-within the by-'pass duct 62 and within the duct 22, leading from the cooling coils, will be equalized and by the by-pass will become operative only -when the pressurev is unbalanced by the opening of the valve.

The thermostatic device shown in Fi ure 1 is preferably located within the rcfrigera'tor or chamber to be cooled by the operation'of the mechanism of this invention.y The arrangement of thejheat actuated bar 48 of the thermostat is such with reference to valve 49 that when f the temperature reaches a predetermined degree ,within the refrigerator, the valve 49 will be opened and the airwithin pi e 47a11d chamber 36 will be released. pring 37 will thereupon open valve 25 until the low temperature within the refrigerator is restored. As the temperature' drops, the ther` mostaticdevices will gradually closejvalve 49 until finally the pressure will buildl up within pipe47 and chambers 56 and 36 to the full extent permitted by the regulating valve, shown lat the left in Figure 1. The pressure so established closes valve 25 and llO thus stops all action of the device until the temperature within the refrigerator again falls to the extent necessary to open valve 49.

Yl: claim:-

1 Refrigerating apparatus including the combination with means for supplying Huid under pressure, of a ported expansion chamber, a worm in communication with the source of iiuid supply and connected at its end with the port of the chamber, the worm being Within the thermal influence of the chamber, a valve provided with a stem and adapted to close said port, a diaphragm ,1

operatively connected with the stem valve actuation, means for diverting a portion of the iuid under reduced pressure and applying the pressure to diaphragm, and a thermostat adapted to control the amount of pressure so applied.

20 an expansion chamber and means for su 2.111 a refrigerating a paratus havingv an expansion chamber an means .for supplying a fluid thereto under ressure, the combination of a valve contro ing the admission of iuid to. the' chamber, a tubular stem for the valve, and means for by-passing a portion of the fluid thru the stem of the valve. f

3, In a refrigerating apparatus havin an expansiorchamber and means for supplying a fluid thereto under pressure, the combination of a iported valve controlling the admission of uid to the chamber, of means for cooling a portion of the Huid before it reaches the chamber, and means for by-passing another portion of the fluid through the port -in said'valve, whereby circulationl of uncooled fluid'through said valve is maintained when the valve is open.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus having plyinga fluid thereto under pressure, t e

combination of a valve controlling the adc mission of fluid to the chamber, means for cooling a portiony of the luidbefore it reaches the chamber,'means for by-passing an uncooled portion of the 'fluid through the valve in the direction ofthe high pressure side thereof, and thermostatically controlled meansfor utilizing the pressure of another portion of said fluid operate the valve in l one direction.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus including an expansion chamber provided with an inlet passage and means for supplying a compressed fluid to the chamber thru the passage, the combination of a valve controlling the delivery offluid from the passage to the chamber and Arovided with a by-pass thru its face, a tu ular valve stem in communication with the the by-pass, and a tube connecting the valve stem with-the source of Aiiuidsupply.- l "i 6. .In a refrigerating apparatusrinoludng an expansion chamber provided with an mlet passage, means for suppl ing a compressed Huid to the chamber. t ru the' as-A sage,'and means for conducting thev 'uid' means `for su ythermal inliuence of said chamber, whereby assage thru intoheat transmitting association with the A chamber before it enters the passage, the

combination of a Valve controlling the delivery of fluid from the passage to the chamber and provided with a by-pass thru its face, a tubular valve stem in communication with the passage` thru they by-pass, and

of the pre-cooled fluid in the passage allowing the delivery of u-ncooled Huid thru the by-pass in the valve to warm the same.

7. A refrigerating apparatus including an expansion chamber, means for supplying fluid under pressure thereto, a valve controlling fluid delivery to the chamber, and means for by-passing' a portion of theiuid thru the valve, iuid delivery thru the bpassy taking place toward the pressure si e of the valve. v

8. Refrigerating apparatus including means for supplying a compressed' iuid, a ported eX ansion chamber, a ported condensing" c amber' in communication with said Huid .supplying means and Ywith said expansion chamber, afloat valvevcontrolling the port in the condensing chamber, an -expansion valve controlling 'the admission of fluidi through the port in the expansion chamber, and means for leading` to a point adjacent the face of said valve a portion ofthe liuid admitted 'through said Huid supplying means.

. 9. Refrlgeratingv mechanism including the I -combination with an expansion chamber,

means vfor supllying compressed iuid, and jecting said fluid to the vapors carried .in the fluid may be condensed; of an expansion valve controlling the admission of fluid to thev expansion chamber ,and al by-pass duct adapted to deliver iitud from said suppl ing means to a point adjacent the face o said expansion valve upon Athe high pressure'side thereof.A 

